Unlocking Queer voices in South Africa

Queer Voices Unlocked (QVU) is inspired by Accountability Lab’s Integrity Icon campaign, honoring exemplary public servants by naming and faming them. QVU spotlights exceptional LGBTQI+ public servants championing positive change, breaking down barriers, and advocating for inclusivity. Celebrating their unwavering commitment to Queer rights, these role models tirelessly work towards visibility and representation at all levels of the public service. Our five winners, spanning diverse government departments, are featured in documentary films and podcasts. Led by and for the Queer community, this project aims to inspire people, foster understanding, and promote LGBTQI+ rights, leading to a more inclusive society. Why [...]

2024-04-19T16:35:13+00:0028th February 2024|

Building Sustainable Cities: The Role of Accountability in Socio-Ecological Systems

Cities are made up of intricate systems with many interconnected elements such as transportation, housing, water, waste, politics, and health. The interaction of these elements can yield transformative outcomes, like establishing health centers fostering job opportunities and educational growth. Conversely, it can also introduce challenges, such as industrial activities adversely impacting the water supply. Despite the seemingly boundless complexities inherent in cities, sustainability is essential. Therefore, it is vital to cultivate accountable cities where decision-makers are aware of their impact and answerable to the citizens they affect. This accountability, rooted in transparency and responsiveness, becomes the linchpin for building trust [...]

2024-04-19T16:37:39+00:002nd January 2024|

Pakistan’s labor quandary: comprehensive reforms and human rights protection needed

Labor Day is celebrated on May 1st and commemorates the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago, United States of America, where many workers lost their lives fighting for eight-hour workdays. In response to this historical event, Pakistan has adopted this day as a public holiday. Every year, newspapers across the country display a picture of a laborer carrying bricks in the scorching heat, a kiln worker with a miserable expression, a security guard on the brink of exhaustion, or a sanitary worker staring at the camera lens with lifeless eyes. However, although it is a widely recognized holiday, most daily-wage laborers [...]

2023-12-18T16:33:24+00:0012th December 2023|

Youth-Led Initiatives and the Future of Democracy: A Conversation with McDonald Lewanika

Governments and institutions have a crucial role in supporting and empowering young people in their efforts to promote democratic change and innovation. International Democracy Day Brussels is an annual event that gathers organizations and experts to celebrate democracy and discuss its challenges. The theme for this year is ‘Empowering the next generation,’ focusing on young people’s essential role in advancing democracy and ensuring their voices are included in decisions that profoundly impact their world. In this year's event, McDonald Lewanika, the Regional Director for East and Southern Africa at Accountability Lab, shared his insights on youth-led initiatives, the state of [...]

2023-12-18T16:05:55+00:0020th November 2023|

Transforming Transparency: How HackCorruption Winners Could Revolutionize Government Procurement in Namibia

One of our first winning HackCorruption teams has local municipalities interested in their winning idea - an online procurement tool that fights corruption. Looking at government institutions in Namibia, Amon Peter, Baptista Joao, Farida Junior Kyababa, Linda McLeod, and Saudai Sapi created a product that enables a transparent view of the procurement process—allowing both government officials and the public to have a complete overview of the awarding of contracts. It's just over a year since their victory, and we caught up with Farida and Saudi to learn the secrets behind their team's success and how they have used the experience [...]

2023-10-09T12:52:49+00:001st October 2023|

Learning To Push Beyond the Boundaries of Comfort

By Leah Persons When I first started my summer internship with Accountability Lab, I was very excited about the work I would be doing, the skills I would develop, and the people I would meet. As an International Studies major from a small college in Georgia, I was very intrigued by AL’s important global efforts of citizen engagement, accountability, and anti-corruption. I was able to learn about and help with these efforts alongside the Lab’s amazing Global team. However, my internship at AL did something more: it taught me to push myself out of my comfort zone.  Firstly, I had [...]

2023-10-26T07:57:32+00:0028th September 2023|

Mobilizing Civic Voter Education in Liberia

According to the National Elections Commission (NEC), Liberia’s current number of first-time voters is just over 20 percent. This figure demonstrates the need to prioritize civic voter education, especially for first-time voters in rural communities. On 21-22 June, Accountability Lab Liberia hosted a training session to build the civic and voter education capacity of 30 journalists and leaders of youth-led organizations from Counties including Bong, Grand Bassa, Lofa, Margibi Montserrado, and Nimba. The training session aimed to equip the participants with skills to lead creative civic engagement campaigns and build working relationships for cross-collaboration, learning, and advocacy. The training focused [...]

2023-10-02T19:03:44+00:0017th August 2023|

Why climate finance needs greater transparency and accountability

We face an existential poly-crisis related to energy, debt, food, climate, health, and security. Collective action is needed to address these challenges and to build global support for the green accountability agenda. The role of international financial institutions (IFIs) like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is critical to promoting transparency in climate finance and addressing the inherent corruption risks. But the quantity of their funding is just one element of this- the quality of that funding is equally as important but is largely missing from policy debates around these issues.  Progress Multinational Development Banks (MDBs) have [...]

2023-08-14T12:10:39+00:001st August 2023|

Rebuilding Accountability Chains in Zimbabwe

By Alois Nyamazana Broken accountability chains lie at the heart of Zimbabwe’s governance problems. Lack of accountability in Zimbabwe has led to the squandering of precious public resources, and a collapse in the systems that are meant to fulfill citizens’ social and economic rights such as access to clean water, health, education, and adequate food. Citizens, particularly the vulnerable, bear the burden of failed accountability mechanisms, in the face of a deteriorating economy. Compounding this burden is corruption with recent events such as the COVID-gate scandal, in which government officials abused COVID-19 resources by flouting procurement and procedural regulations. A [...]

2022-09-05T09:37:34+00:005th September 2022|

Groups meet FSRC, police, seek road ethics reform

The Accountability Lab Nigeria, in conjunction with the Akin Fadeyi Foundation, on Thursday, held a roundtable discussion on road ethics reform with the Federal Road Safety Corps, at the Federal Capital Territory Sector Command in Abuja. Present at the occasion focused on improving road behaviours of drivers and security officials that would lead to reducing corrupt practices on roads, were officials of the FRSC, police officers, officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, and some driving school instructors. The Country Director, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Odeh Friday, stressed that Nigerian road users could improve on their road usage ethics [...]

2022-09-07T07:37:11+00:0025th August 2022|
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